ORDIZIA & GOIERRI

THROUGH HISTORY

PREHISTORYin Goierri

First remainings

There are some Upper Paleolithic Prehistoric sites (35000BC-8000BC). There have been found in Usategi’s cave in Ataun and in Maomendi many prehistoric hunters’ stone and bone tools (scrapers, plates, harpoons, etc...)

Bronze – Chalcolithic Age (3000 BC): There are also many prehistoric sites in and around Aralar mountain range and river Oria. Plenty of tools and cheramics. For example in the cave of Limurita in Ataun and in other caves around Zaldibia.

Without any doubt the best prehistoric remainings and expressions can be found in Aralar’s mountain range; over 80 dolmens,tumulus, monoliths. Most of them are a place of burial and many bodies and different tools have been found around or underneath them. They derive from 4000BC to 2000 BC and they are the only witnesses of the first shepherds.

http://www.osanet.euskadi.net/contenidos/informacion/aralar_ibilbidea/eu_11723/adjuntos/mapa_aralar.pdf

There are more prehistoric sites from the Iron Age(1200BC- 400AD)in our area.The most important one can be found in Mount Murumendi in Beasain where the remainings of a village and its wall have been found.

Middle Ages in GoierriXIIth-XIVth centuries

CASTLES: There have been many castles between Navarre and Gipuzkoa. It seems the kingdom of Navarre built them but their ownership changed hands continuously. Those castles prove there were many fights and battles between them.

Jentilbaratza, for example, is a double-wall fort built in the canyon of Arrateta in Ataun in the XIIth, XIIIth and XIVth centuries. We can still find some of the rocks that formed the fort. A Roman golden ring was also found in the area.

Ausa is another castle or fortress that can be found in Zaldibia. It was built in 1200. Alfonso the VIIIth took possession of the castle and it became a Castillian fort. But by the end of the XIIIth century it went back to the kingdom of Navarre. In 1335 after some conflicts and struggles it was conquered by some jauntxok (chiefs) from Gipuzkoa.

• The city of Ordizia was founded in 1256. Planned in a similar way as Segura and Tolosa

Middle AgesThe foundation of Ordizia

Ordizia today keeps part of its first urban structure around the old part of the town: narrow streets and narrow buildings which still follow the old shape of the original town walls. These walls had 4 gates and the church itself was part of those town walls.

WEDNESDAY MARKET IN ORDIZIA

There were many town fires but the major urban fire happened in 1512. This completely destroyed the town. For this reason the Queen of Castilla and Aragon, Juana (La loca) helped rebuild the town and let them have a free market every Wednesday which is now 500 years old.

MODERN AGEOrdizia had a great development in the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries

MODERN AGE IN ORDIZIA

• Andres de Urdaneta (the XVIth century)

• A great navigator and explorer.

• He sailed the Pacific Ocean and discovered many new routes.

• An example of this; “Tornaviaje” the route from the Philippines to Acapulco.

Ordizia in the XIXth & XXth centuries

Building the railway.

The Industrial Revolution.

ORDIZIA TODAYA mixture of farming & industry.